TENNIS
Sinner sees off Medvedev to set up Djokovic rematch in Riyadh
The Italian beat the Russian in two sets (a bagel in the first) and will face the Serbian in the semi-finals, whom he beat in the final in Shanghai four days ago.
Jannik Sinner took his second head-to-head match in seven days much more seriously than Daniil Medvedev and again beat the Russian fairly comprehensively (6-0 6-3), as he did last week in the quarter-finals of the Shanghai Masters 1000, although this time there were no points at stake and the result did not count towards the head-to-head.
First edition of the Six Kings Slam
This was the short and unspectacular first match of the Six Kings Slam, the multi-million-dollar exhibition that brings together six of the best players in the world in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. As the exhibition event is not an ATP-sanctioned event, players will not earn any ranking points.
The Italian excelled at the newly opened venue called The Venue, within the gigantic complex of the Riyahd Season, a macro-festival of international entertainment events, open to all cultures, which extends over seven months, from October to April. On Thursday, he will meet Novak Djokovic again, whom he also beat in China, in the semi-final.
The world number one continues to be in a state of grace. Everything is going well for him and he wins almost by inertia. The first set screw-up was a sign of his current superiority over most of his rivals.
All-Spanish semi-final
In today’s other quarter final, Carlos Alcaraz beat Denmark’s Holger Rune 4-6 2-6 and will face compatriot Rafael Nadal in the next round
After a day’s break, the two winners will return to contest the final, and the losers the third-place match, on Saturday 19 October.
Each of the six players taking part is guaranteed to take home a minimum participation prize of $1.5 million, with the winner taking home the largest prize in tennis history: $6 million - almost double the prize money for a Grand Slam champion.